Griffon
by MaryChristmas
Summary: rated slightly for language The SGA team discovers the Pegasus Galaxy equivalent to the black market and McKay gets amnesia. (WIP)
1. One

**

Griffon

**  
  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis  
  
Summary: The SGA team discovers the Pegasus Galaxy equivalent to the black market and McKay gets amnesia. **

**Chapter One**

Major John Sheppard stepped out of the stargate onto the planet Telosia, his P-90 raised as if he expected attack. Behind him, three more forms stepped forth from the event-horizon—that looked suspiciously like a puddle of water—and stood in a loose circle around him. He nodded, satisfied, and studied the alien terrain. 

The area around the stargate was clear of trees even though a dense forest was visible not far off. An ornamental stone path led from the 'gate into the wooded area, torches lining the first ten feet. The torches were lit despite the fact that it was midday on the planet. 

Sheppard raised an eyebrow at Teyla. "You didn't say anyone'd be expecting us," he mock accused. 

Teyla smiled, accepting the teasing. "No one is. Telosia is the epicenter of trade among all the peoples of this galaxy," she responded. Then her smile faded. "It can be dangerous to come here, because of the Wraith. Such a gathering of people…." She didn't need to finish. 

"Well that's just great," Doctor Rodney McKay broke in angrily, "Not only do we have the wrath of the Wraith to deal with, but we're on a planet that they frequent for an all you can eat buffet!" 

"Shut-up, McKay," Sheppard said, rolling his eyes, "We need supplies. We have about five hundred more mouths to feed than we expected." 

"Besides," Lieutenant Aidan Ford interjected, "How are we supposed to learn anything if we sit around, afraid of our own shadows?" 

McKay glared, but subsided, for which Sheppard was grateful. The physicist had an annoying habit of giving him a headache. "Okay," Sheppard said, once he was sure there would be no more outbursts, "Teyla, show us the way to go. Ford, watch our six. McKay, stay out of trouble." 

"Me stay out of trouble? You're the one who got us stuck in the transporters that time." 

Sheppard grinned. "Yeah, but you're the one who fainted when we were about to be incinerated as trash." 

McKay muttered something unintelligible, then said testily, "Well, are we just gonna stand around here all day smelling the flowers?" He started marching off down the path until Teyla gently grabbed his arm and pointed in another direction. 

"The Market changes its location. The number of torches lets us know where to go," she explained. 

Sheppard nodded. "Makes sense." He swept a low bow, extracting an amused grin from Ford, a snort from McKay and a look of confusion from Teyla. "After you, m'lady." 

The Market was everything its name implied. Stalls containing clothing, metal works, food and other, more colorful items lined the streets and the low hum of human voices was broken occasionally by vendors calling out their wares at the tops of their lungs. Various people wandered through, some in more of a hurry than others—sometimes knocking people over as they went. 

"Teyla! Teyla Emmagan?" a masculine voice cried out over the cacophony of the crowded market, "Is it really you?" 

A tall man with a grey beard and bald head forced his way through some people and came to a stop in front of the Atlantis team. He wore a gaudy yellow, blue and green tunic with bright red leggings and had a feathered headdress of multiple colors. Sheppard, was mildly concerned, but when Teyla embraced the old man he relaxed. 

"This is Kallen," Teyla told them, "He's in charge of the Market, and has been ever since I can remember. Kallen, these are Major Sheppard, Lieutenant Ford and Doctor McKay. They are from a planet called Earth, in a galaxy far, far away." 

Sheppard and Ford grinned. McKay gave the Athosian woman an odd look before glancing at his other teammates. His expression changed to one of weary annoyance. Sheppard couldn't help but laugh. 

"Have I done something to amuse you, Major?" Kallen asked. 

Sobering abruptly, Sheppard shook his head. "No, it's uh…an inside joke. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's nice to meet you Kallen." 

"I am glad to meet you as well, Major. And Lieutenant and Doctor as well." 

"Ah," Sheppard winced, "Uh, those are actually our titles. You can address us by them if you want to," he put in quickly when the old man simply stared at him. 

Then Kallen smiled. "Of course. I have seen stranger customs in my lifetime. Sometimes I wonder how we could all have the same Ancestors." 

McKay chose that moment to speak, even though the statement had obviously been rhetorical. "It's actually quite easy, considering they all left about ten thousand years ago. That much time, living on different planets and having different environments to deal with can cause…" 

"Since when were you an anthropologist?" Sheppard asked before McKay could go into one of his long-winded speeches. 

"You don't have to be an anthropologist to understand the significance of…" 

"McKay. Shut-up." 

"Why do you tell me that all the time?" 

"Because I can." 

Sheppard grinned as McKay rolled his eyes. Kallen looked between the two of them and then leaned in to whisper in an audible tone to Teyla, "Are they always like this?" 

"Yes," Teyla answered, amusement dancing in her eyes. 

"Well," Kallen began, "If you will all follow me, I will show you where we can speak of bargaining without all these ears." 

Sheppard stuck his tongue out at McKay and turned to follow the old man. 

"Oh, very mature, Major." 

The small tent Kallen led them into was surprisingly roomy. What looked to be a desk made out of a very shiny material was situated in the middle while chairs of the same material were lined up against the sides. Kallen pulled one of the chairs up to the desk and sat down so that he was facing them. 

"Please," the old man began pleasantly, "Sit down. You'll be more comfortable for negotiations." 

Sheppard shrugged and pulled up a chair, Ford and Teyla followed suit. McKay however, was tapping one of the chairs with his knuckles and the expression on his face made Sheppard groan. It was the 'I've-found-something-new-and-cool-and-I'm-gonna-have-to-check-it-out' look. 

"Sit down, McKay," Sheppard growled before the scientist had a chance to open his mouth. 

"But, this is unlike any metal I've ever….right. Sitting down. You know, you can be an asshole sometimes?" 

"_I_ can be an asshole sometimes? Oh well, takes one to know one." 

"Ahem," Kallen coughed to get their attention. "If we may continue?" 

McKay sighed and pulled the chair out so that he was sitting by Teyla and as far away from Sheppard as he could get. Ford, for his part, just looked straight ahead, the muscles in his jaws jumping sporadically as he tried to keep himself from laughing at the two. Teyla ignored them all and gazed at Kallen. 

"Thank you," Kallen said irritably, "Now what exactly do you need?" 

"Food," McKay said before anyone else could speak. Ford discretely kicked him in the ankle. Unfortunately, McKay wasn't so discrete in his reaction. "Ow! What'd you do that for? That hurt. My ankles are very sensitive, Lieutenant. I think you broke it." 

"It was an accident," Ford lied, "And it wasn't that hard." 

"How would you know? You've got those combat boots on. You can't tell how hard you kick someone with those." McKay's voice had taken on a whiny quality now. 

Sheppard could feel the headache coming on. "Your ankle's not broken, McKay, and unless you'd like it to be, you'd better shut your mouth and don't say another word unless I tell you to. I do know how hard I can kick somebody with these boots on." 

The physicist swallowed back the retort he had been about to make when he met Sheppard's eyes and settled for a pouty glare. 

"Sorry about that, Kallen," Sheppard apologized, "Our major priority is food." 

Before the Telosian could respond, a boy that couldn't be older than five ran in, out of breath and in a panic. 

"Grandfather! Someone's killed all the nesting females and stolen the eggs!"

* * *

**Well, that's the end of chapter one…let me know what you think.**


	2. Two

**Chapter Two**

Kallen gestured with his hands, a look of utter horror on his face, words seeming to have failed him. "Are…are you certain Gann?" 

"Yes Grandfather," the boy said, sounding hurt that he wasn't believed, "I saw it for myself. They've all been stripped too. The Nesting Grounds have been violated!" 

"Nesting grounds?" Sheppard asked uncertainly. 

"Kallen and his family have tended the Herds of Telosia for as long as anyone can remember," Teyla said softly, "The Nesting Grounds are where the breeding mothers go to lay their eggs and raise their young. From there some are taken to be raised as milkers, others to be slain for food and materials, and still others to be raised for breeding." 

This didn't clear his confusion any. "What herds?" 

Teyla frowned slightly in concentration. "That's all we know them as. They have been here…" 

"..As long as anyone can remember," Sheppard answered for her. 

She nodded. "Yes. While every planet has its own animal population, the Herds are special and only one milking female can be given to a village. Outside the breeding facilities and the Nesting Grounds, they tend to kill each other if there is more than one around. Our own milker died a few days before you first arrived. They are the primary givers of nutrients to our people." 

"Their feathers, fur and beaks are valuable commodities," Kallen said wearily. 

"Feathers, fur and beaks?" McKay asked incredulously, "What kind of creatures are these?" 

Kallen continued as if he hadn't been disrupted. "We sell these, both in their raw form and various crafts, along with the meat. On other worlds, a milker is sometimes killed and stripped with the body left to decompose. A female's fur is far softer and easier to work with than that of the beasts we slaughter. Her feathers are shinier and take die better and her beak is more malleable. 

"There are those who trade valuable items for these, and because of this there are those who would do anything to obtain them." 

He paused in his explanation to swallow convulsively, "However, on Telosia, the Nesting Grounds and breeding facility are considered sacrosanct. No one would dare to…" 

"Obviously somebody's dared," McKay muttered. His face had a ghostly pallor to it. 

Sheppard glared at him, but the physicist studiously ignored it. "Well, why don't we all go and take a look, shall we? See if there's anything we can do to help." 

Kallen looked at him hopefully. "You would really offer your help?" 

"Hey, I hate poachers as much as the next guy." 

McKay grimaced as he followed the others out of the cramped tent. His ankle hurt, and, though Sheppard was right about it not being broken, he was certain there would be a gigantic bruise. He wanted to stay behind and study the chairs some more—the material they were made out of was incredible! They were light as a feather and yet extremely sturdy. 

Besides, just the thought of some weird looking animal lying decomposing was enough to make him nauseous. He had seen the work of poachers up close before and had no desire to do so again. However, Sheppard-The-All-Mighty had given an order and he supposed he'd better follow it. 

It didn't take them long to arrive at the Nesting Grounds once they had cleared the crowded Market. The smell was the first thing to hit them, and McKay had to clench his teeth to keep his breakfast from returning the way it came. Then he saw the grounds themselves. 

Sheppard stared at the horrific sight of the bloody bodies littered across nests the size of a car. He stepped up to the one closest to him and sucked in a surprised gasp. It was a cross between a bird and some kind of large cat—a griffon. As he knelt down beside it, he noticed strange tracks near it. They looked like sled marks, but only went out about six feet before they ended abruptly. 

Before he could point them out to Kallen, he heard a loud retching noise and looked up in annoyance. McKay was standing way behind the rest of the group, upending the contents of his stomach on the ground. 

"Just great," Sheppard muttered, "He's also got a weak stomach." 

"Man," Ford said, dismay evident in his voice "What kind of monster would do something like this?" 

"A monster," Teyla responded, her voice lacking its normal emotion. 

Kallen fell to his knees and began praying to the Ancestors. It was remarkably similar to the one the Athosians used. Gann, the boy, stood close by, tears running down his chubby cheeks. Sheppard stared at them. While in his opinion, these were just animals, he understood that to Kallen and Gann they were charges. Charges they had failed to protect. He knew what they were feeling far more than he cared to admit. 

"Teyla, Ford, see if you can find anybody who might have witnessed the attack." 

The two of them nodded, and Ford snapped off a smart salute before they began moving across the grounds. 

Sheppard walked over to McKay and grabbed his arm. "I need your help. Get a hold of yourself and lets look at the area. See if we can find any evidence." 

"What are you, Sherlock Holmes," McKay muttered. At least he was standing up. And his face had regained its color. 

Sheppard smirked. "Quite right, Watson," he said in a fake British accent, "The game's afoot." 

"Oh, you're just the funniest man in the universe." 

"I know. Here," Sheppard pointed, "Look at these tracks. What do you make of them?" 

"So now I'm Holmes?" McKay retorted, but looked at the strange markings on the ground, studiously looking away from the body of the griffon. He frowned and rubbed his chin. "I'd say maybe they were from some kind of sled. But why do they just disappear?" 

Sheppard shrugged and began walking towards another corpse. There were no tracks by this one. McKay followed at a slower pace and made a circuit around the body. He exclaimed loudly and Sheppard jogged over to him. The griffons were at least as big as a small pick-up, not including wing span. Sure enough, there were more sled marks, exactly like the other ones. 

"A flying sled?" 

"Makes sense. Especially if the creatures can fly. Kallen?" Sheppard asked the old man, who had walked up as Sheppard spoke. 

"Yes, the breeders can," Kallen answered, "but we cut the wings of the milkers before we send them out." 

"These are breeders?" 

"Yes." 

McKay seemed to have recovered from his weak constitution and was going on in an excited manner. "Do you know of any kind of flying machine that anyone around here uses?" 

To their complete astonishment, the old man's expression closed and he said in a hard tone, "No. Nobody around has anything like that. Perhaps it is best that you all leave. Now. I am sorry I couldn't help you, but I'm certain that you can find what you need at the Market." And with that he turned and stalked off, grabbing his grandson as he walked past him. 

"That wasn't normal," Sheppard remarked casually. 

"Think he's lying?" McKay questioned just as causally. 

"Through his teeth." 


	3. Three

**A/N: I would like to thank TeeChan and Trekkie Lizard for reviewing**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Okay," Sheppard said as he and McKay walked back towards the Market. He had contacted Teyla and Ford and told them to meet them at the 'gate. "We know that Kallen's lying. We know that someone's been poaching. We know that Kallen didn't know about it. So, the question is; who's he trying to protect?" 

"Teyla did say the family had been tending the Herds for as longs as anyone could remember," McKay mused, "And the way those tracks were laid out could only mean that it was someone the griffons trusted." 

"Griffons?" Sheppard started, "That's what I've been calling them." 

"Well, the shape and the way Kallen described them as having feathers _and_fur lends support to the fact that maybe that's what they are. After all, the myths had to start out from somewhere." 

"I know. I'm just surprised we actually agreed on something is all." 

McKay gave a mock gasp of horror. "Oh no, the world's gonna end!" 

"Which one?" 

"Very funny." 

"I know," Sheppard grinned at him, causing McKay to roll his eyes, "Anyway, lets get back to the 'gate and let Dr. Weir know what's going on. 

Inside the small room set aside for briefings, Doctor Elizabeth Weir looked at each of the four members of Sheppard's team in turn, trying to buy herself some time to think about what she would say. They hadn't completed their primary mission—to secure some kind of trade agreement for food and other supplies—and wanted to return to Telosia in order to solve some kind of local mystery. While she could understand their feelings on the matter, she just wasn't certain getting involved in such a manner was a good idea. Especially since—according to Teyla—Telosia was the main planet for trade. 

They could easily piss off the wrong people and not be allowed to trade anywhere else. 

"I don't think…" 

"Doctor Weir," McKay interrupted, "I know what you're going to say, and normally I'd agree with you. We shouldn't go sticking our noses in where they don't belong, or where they're not invited, but this time it's different. These griffons are a dietary mainstay of the peoples of this galaxy. If they're all killed off because of some greedy punks, then we'll probably be the next to go. No griffons, no food. No food, no life. And if we don't go back soon, the evidence may be gone." 

Weir noticed Sheppard's smirk at the statement, but the major kept silent. She glanced over at Ford and then at Teyla. Whatever their reason, the team was in accord; they wanted to go back to Telosia and find out what was going on. She sighed. 

"All right," she conceded, "You have to go back to that planet anyway to see if we can strike an agreement. Discretely," she paused and held up her finger, "And I mean very discretely see what you can find out about the deaths of these griffons." 

Sheppard snapped off a smart salute and gave her one of his annoying grins. "Yes ma'am. Okay people, you heard the good doctor. Let's head out." Weir found herself shaking her head in bemusement as the three boys in men's bodies scrambled up from their chairs and headed for the control center. Teyla's exit was quite a bit more graceful; nodding gratefully to Weir as she left. At least there was one cool head among them. 

Once back on the planet, Sheppard noticed that almost nothing had changed in the hour that they had been gone. The only thing that was noticeably different was the number of torches. They had lined the stone path before; now there was only two. 

Sheppard glanced at Teyla. The Athosian woman was frowning, her dark eyes worried. "Something up?" he asked. 

"They have moved the Market much sooner than they would have normally," she answered after a moment, "What this means, I cannot say." 

"Kallen is in charge of the Market, right?" McKay questioned, "So, where do the torches tell you the place is now?" 

"Ten miles to the west of where it was last," Teyla responded. 

"Far enough away from the Nesting Grounds that no one would have an excuse to accidentally wander in," Sheppard mused, "Looks like someone doesn't want us to know what's going on here. Right, Teyla, I want you and McKay to go to the Market and see about getting that trade agreement. Also, look around for any evidence of flying sleds. Be careful. Ford and I are going back to the Nesting Grounds. If anything happens to us, I want you to go through the 'gate and pretend you had no idea what happened to us. Understood?" 

Teyla nodded, but McKay looked like he was about to protest. 

"McKay, no offense, but you're not exactly the best soldier in the universe," Sheppard told him, "We'd all be better off if you stayed with Teyla at the Market. Besides, you'll know what other kinds of things we'll need besides food." 

"Fine, but if you come across anything you can't explain…" 

"We'll contact you," Sheppard assured him, "Now get going." The team split up, with Teyla and McKay going in one direction and Ford and Sheppard in the other. 

McKay followed the tall Athosian woman in silence for a while, thinking. Sheppard was right; he was no solider, and despite his earlier protests, he knew that the relative safety of the Market was better than the unknown dangers of going back to the Nesting Grounds. While part of him wanted to live life out on the edge, to experience danger and excitement, the other, more practical part of him preferred to live such experiences vicariously. Like in books or movies. 

When he had first signed on to the Atlantis project, it was just as the resident expert astrophysicist. No real danger involved there, except maybe mishaps with using technology that was light years ahead of anything known on Earth. Then, when the expedition to actually find the Lost City was under way, he had distanced himself in such a manner that he was just an observer watching someone else take that first dangerous step through the stargate. 

As time wore on however, his panicky side had begun to kick in, and though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he felt much safer with his personal shield—despite the fact that he thought it might kill him at one point. 

"Are you angry with Major Sheppard," a soft voice interrupted his musings. 

McKay looked up to find Teyla staring at him intently, but he couldn't read the expression in her eyes. "No, not angry. He's right. I'm a scientist, not a soldier." He rolled his eyes then. "I can't believe I just said that." 

"Why?" Teyla asked, honestly curious. 

"Why? There's this show back on Earth called Star Trek," he explained, "Lots of people like to quote lines from it, especially if they get used a lot by certain characters. One of the main characters was Dr. Leonard McCoy, and he would always say something like 'Damn it Jim! I'm a doctor not a mind-reader!'" 

Teyla nodded thoughtfully. "I believe I understand. You made a pun." 

McKay turned slightly and asked, "I did?" 

"Your name is McKay and you said the same words as McCoy," Teyla explained. 

"Oh brother. Please don't ever mention this to Sheppard. Or Dr. Beckett. Especially Dr. Beckett." He could just imagine the gloating Scott. Then he grinned. "Unless of course you call him Scotty first." 

"Scotty?" 

Before he could elaborate, they were greeted with the cacophonous sound of the Market. He was slightly relieved; he actually hated Star Trek. The number of assumptions they made regarding physics irked him no end. 

"I will find someone I know to be trusted to speak with about trading," Teyla announced—of course, she had also thought she could trust Kallen, which explained the bitterness in her voice—"You remain here until I return." 

McKay watched as she melted into the crowd and sighed. He hated waiting like this. If he had something to occupy his mind, it wouldn't be so bad, but the only thing his thoughts kept turning to was Star Trek and the dead bodies of those griffons. He shook his head. What was he, four? He could stand around and wait just as patiently as anyone else. He'd just settle for looking at the Market. He hadn't really noticed it much when they were here earlier; he had been too busy arguing with Sheppard. 

As he scanned the perimeters, something metal caught his eye. It was flying down from the sky. He stared as something that looked like a flying jet-ski landed not far from a large tent set apart from the rest of the Market and watched the pilot climb off and enter the tent. Taking a deep breath, he composed his features and sauntered casually over to the tent, pretending he was just browsing. 

When he was certain no one was looking, he pressed himself flat against the sides of the material and strained his ears. He was rewarded with a garbled account by two male voices. 

"….too dangerous…" the first one said. 

"…worth the risk…" 

"…what….find….the…" 

"…saw….no more….left…" 

McKay growled silently to himself. Surely they could speak up louder than that? While what he could hear did seem to be incriminating, without the entire conversation it would be useless as evidence. 

The jet-ski however….he grinned and crawled across the ground to it. Sure enough, the skis themselves were the same width and length of the tracks at the Nesting Ground. Now, if he could just see who it was in the tent. He maneuvered himself so that he could see the inside of the tent. There, he could just make out Kallen's colorful robes and another man he had never seen before. 

He didn't even know what hit him, before everything went dark.


	4. Four

**Thanks to Trekkie Lizard, CourtKnee, lady rosebit, means everything, and Erinithia for reviewing.   
  
Chapter Four**

Sheppard let loose a great sigh as he and Ford made their way towards the Nesting Grounds. Earlier, he hadn't noticed how far it was, perhaps because of the Market being in the vicinity and the circumstances. He appreciated the scenery as much as the next guy-the trees were even taller than the great Redwoods-but having to trek through it when he was in a hurry only served to irritate him. 

"Kinda reminds of the one time I went on a mission with SG-1, sir," Ford remarked after the fifth sigh. 

"Oh?" Sheppard asked, not really interested, but needing something to occupy his time, "Why's that?" 

"Well, General O'Neill-he was still a colonel at the time-kept doing the same thing you're doing," the young lieutenant paused for a moment to concentrate on stepping over the large log that was lying in their way, "He kept muttering about how boring trees were, and why couldn't the planets ever have anything remotely exciting or even different." 

Sheppard shrugged. "I'm guessing it was a standard recon mission. Those can get pretty boring." 

"Actually, Doctor Jackson had been kidnapped by a weird alien princess and the team I was assigned to-SG-8-was providing back-up for SG-1." 

"Oh." There didn't seem to be anything else to say at that point, so they continued a few paces in silence. Then, Sheppard asked, "So, General O'Neill's a pretty weird guy, huh?" 

Ford looked thoughtful for a minute, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. He's not your ordinary soldier, that's for sure. But then again, neither are you. No offense, sir." 

"None taken." 

When they finally arrived at the Nesting Grounds, Sheppard frowned at the scene before him. Every last body had been cleared away, and the broken nests that had littered the ground were gone as well. There didn't appear to be any sign of the massacre that had occurred. "This…is not good." 

Ford whistled. "You're not kidding, sir. How'd they get this done so fast?" 

"I don't know," Sheppard answered absently, "But I have another question that's been bothering me." 

"Yes, sir?" 

"Why don't they move the Nesting Grounds like they do the Market?" Sheppard began pacing, "I mean, the whole point is so the Wraith don't have as great a chance at slaughter, or culling or whatever it is they do. Those griffons were the size of a small pick-up. Surely their life energy is just as appeasing? If not more?" 

Then he shook his head and turned around. "C'mon, Lieutenant, let's get everyone back to Atlantis. Something very definitely does not smell right here." 

Teyla walked slowly through the Market, a frown deepening on her brow. Something was not right, though she couldn't put her finger on it. The people, some of whom she had met once or twice, were ignoring her. Worse, they were pointedly ignoring her-refusing to meet her gaze, looking stonily in the other direction among other signs. This had never happened on Telosia, and she was certain Kallen had something to do with this. 

With a frustrated sigh, she gave up looking for a familiar face that she knew would give her words just as much weight as Kallen's. There were none she could trust. A sick feeling entered her stomach at the thought. As leader of a band of nomads, learning to trust was something ingrained. To know that such trust could be broken so easily was disheartening. 

She made her way back to the point where she had left Doctor McKay, and noted with irritation that he was not there. Not that she could blame him. He was an excitable sort, much like a child in some ways, and didn't seem to be able to sit still for any length of time that didn't involve eating. Even then, she had noticed he would move around. Still, she was annoyed at the fact that he wasn't there and that she would now have to look for him. 

Then she looked around. Something was off from before. She walked a little ways forward and frowned. On the ground were signs that a largish tent had been here not too long ago, along with those strange sled marks Major Sheppard had described and one of the radios the Earth people used for communication. Nearby was a dark red stain on the ground. 

Teyla picked up the radio and clicked the button. "Major Sheppard, this is Teyla," she said into it. 

_Sheppard here,_ a tinny voice answered, _What's up?_

"There has been trouble. I do not know what kind, but I believe McKay has been injured." 

There was a long silence before the radio crackled to life again. _What do you mean, _believe_ he's been injured?_

Teyla bit her lip before continuing, "I left him at the edge of the Market, and when I returned just now I found this radio, and a blood colored stain on the ground. There are those sled marks you mentioned before." 

_You left him alone?_ Sheppard's voice sounded almost angry. 

Teyla bristled, "I believed it would be better for negotiations that someone the people knew met them first, without strangers. I did not know this would happen." 

_I know, I'm sorry Teyla. This has just been one weird day. Meet us back at the 'gate. Sheppard out._

Teyla nodded, event though she knew he couldn't see, and began walking in the direction of the stargate. 

Everything was dark and his head hurt. For a moment, he panicked and started hyperventilating. Then, he remembered. The Wolverine wouldn't be such a big baby. The X-man wasn't scared of anything. Heartened by thoughts of his hero, Rodney took one long breath and exhaled. He would be just like Wolverine. 

So deciding, Rodney sniffed at the air. He couldn't really smell anything except grass and some kind of musty animal scent. However, he let out a low growl, just like Wolverine would have, and demanded, "Who's there, bub?" 

The only answer he got was a cheeping noise, like some kind of bird. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it was too dark. Losing the persona momentarily, he said in a softer voice, "Hello?" 

Again, the slight chirruping noise met his ears and he smiled. "C'mon, I won't hurt you." He felt something soft brush against his hand and he reached out to touch it. Only to practically yank it back when he realized just how big the chick was. Then he shook his head. Kriss was always telling him how big a baby he was, just because he was five and she was nine. Well, he'd show her. He bet she'd never pet a big bird thing that she couldn't see. 

With determination he reached out and touched the soft feathers of the creature. It purred. Rodney giggled. He'd never heard a bird purr before. Then, as he pet it, he realized that it also had fur. "What are you?" he asked. The creature just purred louder and snuggled into his body. It wasn't as big as he had thought at first, only about the size of a puppy. He had always wanted one. 

"Mummy and Daddy probably aren't going to let me keep you," he said sadly, "but since I'm lost, and you're lost, we'll keep each other company. Okay?" Rodney smiled when the creature cheeped in agreement. "My name's Rodney. What's yours? Cheep? Nah. How 'bout Furzzy. Yeah. I like it. Furzzy." Furzzy must have liked it too because it didn't make another sound. 


	5. Five

Well, I've finally updated...um...hope you like it... 

**Chapter Five**

_Find him_ Dr. Weir had said. Well, that was easier said than done with all these people around. 

Sheppard sighed, and pulled out a life sign detector to look at. Hopefully...yes! There, somewhere close by was Rodney McKay. He motioned to Ford and the two of them followed the trail until they came upon an old, abandoned metal looking barn. 

"There's indentations here, sir," Ford told him, "We can pull it open." 

"OKay, let's do it," Sheppard agreed, relieved. Thank god, nothing bad had happened to the scientist. 

--------------

Rodney woke up with a start after realizing he'd fallen asleep. He looked around, his fingers still holding tight to Furzzy's fur. It was still too dark to see anything. He sighed and lay back, wishing he were at home right now, playing with his K'nex toys. That was fun! He could build lots and lots of things with them. Daddy said he'd be an architecht just like him one day. Course, Mummy said he'd be a violinist like her one day. And Granny said he'd be a veterinarian (he was so proud of himself for remembering that word) with the way he liked animals and they liked him. 

He liked all of those things, but what he really wanted to do was travel to another galaxy one day. Like in Star Trek, even though he didn't like that show. To boldly go where no man has gone before. Yeah, he could do that some day too. 

A loud scraping sound brought him out of his musings and he looked towards where he thought he heard it, clutching Furzzy tightly to his chest. Furzzy squawked in protest, so he loosened his hold a little, but not by much as a sliver of light appeared, and grew larger. Soon, there was a large opening in the wall, and two men stood staring at him. 

"McKay?" Asked one of them, a nice looking black man, "You okay? How'd you get in here?" 

"Probably just hiding after those men attacked him," the other man said. He was nice looking too. "McKay is nothing, if not smart." 

Someone had attacked him? That must be why his head hurt and why his mummy and daddy weren't around. But why were they calling him by his last name? He crawled forward, still holding on to Furzzy. 

"Is that...a griffon?" the second nice man asked suddenly, "Where'd you get it?" 

"His name is Furzzy," Rodney told him, "He stayed with me so I could protect him." 

The second nice man nodded, and then frowned at him. "Why are you talking like that McKay?" 

"Why do you call me McKay?" Rodney asked, honestly curious, "My name is Rodney, what's yours?" 

The two men shared a look. "Uh, I'm Aiden," said the first man, "Nice to meet you." 

"John," said the other, "How old are you, Rodney?" 

"Six!" Rodney told him proudly, "Well, five and a half, but I'll be six soon. It's close enough." 

"Major Sheppard, have you found..." 

"Yes, Teyla!" John said quickly, "We did. Um...dial up the Stargate and have a medical team stand by for us, all right?" 

"Wow," Rodney said, "You're a major? For real?" 

"Yep," John said with an odd smile, "So, Rodney, why don't you come with us and..." 

"What about Furzzy? We can't leave him for the bad men either." 

John sighed and stared at the little bird like creature, then nodded and smiled. "No, now we can't. Now, bring Furzzy and you can come with us to see our friend Elizabeth." 

"Okay!" 

John spoke to Aiden in a whisper. The younger man nodded and took off into the trees. 

Rodney smiled brightly at John. "This is gonna be fun. My sister said I was gonna marry a girl named Elizabeth. She likes to pretend she's a fortune tellar. Yeah, it is stupid huh?" he asked, when John began making a funny noise that Rodney took to be derision, "But older sisters are like that sometimes." 

"Yeah. Older sisters are like that sometimes..." John agreed, still sounding odd. "Well, here we are. The special thing we're going to use to get to where we're going." 

Rodney frowned and looked at the giant pool that stood on its side, but no water was comling out. "That's not possible," he told John, "It's not real." 

"That's right, it's pretend. But we have to step through it in order to get to the other side." 

Rodney frowned and looked down at Furzzy. His new pet seemed content enough, and John was really nice. Plus, he was in the Army! And a major too! So, Rodney nodded and let John lead him through the fake pool. 


End file.
